100 yards - PW or SW?

[Mr. Plow]

Took my son golfing today. We knew we didn't have time for 9 holes - started about 6:20p. But, being members, really didn't matter.

So we played a 4 or 5 holes. He can drive the ball pretty well for an 8 year old. No touch around the green. Neither do I, so who's complaining.

Anyway, got to our last hole - par 5 - and decided to mess around a bit. We sat out in my golf cart at roughly 100 yards. I made a bet with him - ice cream vs. clean room. He said that out of 10 golf balls, I would get 4 or less on the green. I thought "Ha. Sucker bet."

So I hit the first 5 with my SW. Then I hit the next 5 with my PW. 100 yards is about my max with my SW, so I was hitting the ball pretty hard. I can hit my PW roughly 120-130 if I hit it well, so I tried to ease up a bit.

Out of the first 10, I only got 3. I had 2 on the fringe, and 2 others that were just off, and a couple that I chunked.

So, we grabbed all the golf balls and went back. I thought, "Second times a charm."

So I doubled the bet. This time, I tried all with my PW. For some damn reason, I couldn't hit the ball 100 yards. I could hit it 120 or 80, but not in between. I did however, manage to get 4 on this time.

So I decided to try again. This time, from 120 yards out thinking this would be perfect. I'll have 6 or 7 on. Bullshit. I still hit 4 of them long. 4 on. And 2 chunks.

Anyway, apparently I am now giving my son 2 nights of ice cream, a room cleaning, and I think I owe him $100 but not sure.

I'm not sure there is a question in here....deal with it.

[rageeumr]

I'm money from 100 out with my SW. I'm a hack from any other point on the course.

[Mr. Plow]

I'm money from 100 out with my SW. I'm a hack from any other point on the course.

Can you teach me? I'm either trying to muscle my SW or pussyfoot my PW. Why can't there be a P1/2SW?

[ChiefsFire]

same trouble here....

turned out my pw had the loft of a 8 iron

loved the club so i move it forward in my stance and hit a nice lil fade....

[milkman]

There is absolutely a question in here.

"Was I a dumb**** for making that bet with my kid?"

And the answer is an emphatic "YES!!!!!".

:)

[stlchiefs]

Took my son golfing today. We knew we didn't have time for 9 holes - started about 6:20p. But, being members, really didn't matter.

So we played a 4 or 5 holes. He can drive the ball pretty well for an 8 year old. No touch around the green. Neither do I, so who's complaining.

Anyway, got to our last hole - par 5 - and decided to mess around a bit. We sat out in my golf cart at roughly 100 yards. I made a bet with him - ice cream vs. clean room. He said that out of 10 golf balls, I would get 4 or less on the green. I thought "Ha. Sucker bet."

So I hit the first 5 with my SW. Then I hit the next 5 with my PW. 100 yards is about my max with my SW, so I was hitting the ball pretty hard. I can hit my PW roughly 120-130 if I hit it well, so I tried to ease up a bit.

Out of the first 10, I only got 3. I had 2 on the fringe, and 2 others that were just off, and a couple that I chunked.

So, we grabbed all the golf balls and went back. I thought, "Second times a charm."

So I doubled the bet. This time, I tried all with my PW. For some damn reason, I couldn't hit the ball 100 yards. I could hit it 120 or 80, but not in between. I did however, manage to get 4 on this time.

So I decided to try again. This time, from 120 yards out thinking this would be perfect. I'll have 6 or 7 on. Bullshit. I still hit 4 of them long. 4 on. And 2 chunks.

Anyway, apparently I am now giving my son 2 nights of ice cream, a room cleaning, and I think I owe him $100 but not sure.

I'm not sure there is a question in here....deal with it.

Sounds like your son learned a valuable lesson tonight: always use dads ego against him in a bet. Funny story though, I can picture it all and I'm sure your son loved every minute of it. A story he'll remember for a long time: "Dad remember the time you couldn't hit the green and had to clean my room and pay me $100."

[NaptownChief]

You need a Gap Wedge.....Most men will hit there PW 110-135 yards depending on the player and power...Most will hit a sand wedge 75-110 yards but the average length player will be about 85 yards with a smooth sand wedge and about 115 with a smooth pitching wedge which leaves a big gap between them at a very important distance.

You should try to have about 4 degrees difference between all your wedges and short irons. So if your sand wedge is 56 degree then you should probably get a 51 or 52 degree gap wedge. Your pitching wedge is probably 48 degrees which leaves a full club gap between it and your sand wedge.

I play my sand wedge at 85-95 yards, gap wedge from 96-115 and pitching wedge from 116-129 range give or take based on weather. I can hit them all further than that but that is where I'm most accurate with a smooth swing.

[Stinger]

Someone already mentioned a gap wedge. If you don't want to spend money on another club (sacrilege for golfers I know). But my suggestion is if you want to hit the PW 100-110 yards according to your description you might want to try slightly choking down on your PW and loosen your grip a tad.

Choking down on the grip will take a few yard off the flight. Loosening the grip will also take a few yards off but also help prevent some chunks and make a more fluid swing.

[NaptownChief]

Someone already mentioned a gap wedge. If you don't want to spend money on another club (sacrilege for golfers I know). But my suggestion is if you want to hit the PW 100-110 yards according to your description you might want to try slightly choking down on your PW and loosen your grip a tad.

Choking down on the grip will take a few yard off the flight. Loosening the grip will also take a few yards off but also help prevent some chunks and make a more fluid swing.


Definitely good advice to go the cheap route....I have found that griping half way down your grip takes about 5 yards off your normal distance. Working on 3/4 shots and getting to know the distance is also a good way but to be honest if you are only hitting the green from 100 yards around 30-40% with multiple swings then you would be better off taking full swings that you are more comfortable with and just doing it with a club designed to go about 100 yards for your swing. You can get a good gap wedge on Ebay for likely $25-50. About the cost of one round of golf so it is a pretty small investment for a club that should really help you improve your game in the scoring zone. If you do that make sure to get the proper bounce. If your current sand wedge has a lot of bounce like 12-14 degrees then getting a gap wedge without a lot of bounce like 4-8 degrees would be a good mix so that you have some versitility in the bunkers when playing soft fluffy sand versus hard packed wet stuff.

[WilliamTheIrish]

I agree with Nap. Spend the dough on the gap wedge. Then invest an hour per week on the driving range.

You do that for four weeks, then take you son back out and make the same bet.

[Phobia]

100 is a PW for me at about 80%. I used to be alright at that distance but today - no idea.

[jspchief]

Choke down.

I have large yardage gaps between my W, SW, and LW. Choking down on the club works wonderfully for me. I don't have to change anything else in my swing.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The gap wedge is a good investment. It's also a great club to use around the green, as it has some bounce, but not as much as the SW which can lead to skulled shots.

A word of advice: don't swing balls out with your SW...it'll just balloon, going up intsead of out.

[Skip Towne]

It depends on where you live. I'm from Kansas where the wind always blows. All of your fancy wedges are useless here. From 100 yds out I choke down on an 8 iron and hood the clubface and punch it in under the wind. Aim a little left (or right) allowing for wind. This keeps the ball lower and maintains velocity to counteract the wind. A wedge puts the ball way up there while it runs out of gas and the wind really takes over.

[Buck]

You're getting older.

[Boyceofsummer]

It depends on where you live. I'm from Kansas where the wind always blows. All of your fancy wedges are useless here. From 100 yds out I choke down on an 8 iron and hood the clubface and punch it in under the wind. Aim a little left (or right) allowing for wind. This keeps the ball lower and maintains velocity to counteract the wind. A wedge puts the ball way up there while it runs out of gas and the wind really takes over.

A 9-iron is a dream for hitting short approach shots and chips. Wedges are specialty clubs and for golfers with no feel. Your 8-iron comment is honest and helpful. Check you ego's at the tee box.

[keg in kc]

I'm about to take up golf.

God help you all.

[Phobia]

You do not "take up golf". Golf takes up you.

[Miles]

I think you probably just found a yardage gap in between your clubs at 100 yards. Its more difficult to take some off than it is to make a full swing. You might look into a gap wedge but I have never felt that was a solution because it doesn't allow you to carry a 60* wedge, 2-iron or or the wood equivalent.

I have a rather large yardage gap between my SW and PW as well and it annoys me quite a bit when I don' t get out often enough. I usually hit my SW 100 and I can at times get 110 out of it with less reliability. My PW is good for 140 with a full swing. You may try screwing around with your PW some and try to develop a 3/4 swing knock down shot or even just a 3/4 swing that you are comfortable with.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I think you probably just found a yardage gap in between your clubs at 100 yards. Its more difficult to take some off than it is to make a full swing. You might look into a gap wedge but I have never felt that was a solution because it doesn't allow you to carry a 60* wedge, 2-iron or or the wood equivalent.

I have a rather large yardage gap between my SW and PW as well and it annoys me quite a bit when I don' t get out often enough. I usually hit my SW 100 and I can at times get 110 out of it with less reliability. My PW is good for 140 with a full swing. You may try screwing around with your PW some and try to develop a 3/4 swing knock down shot or even just a 3/4 swing that you are comfortable with.

Pull your 3 iron

Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Wood. 4,5,6,7,8,9, Gap, Sand, Lob, Putter. 14 clubs.

Wedges are your scoring clubs. You are always better off carrying an extra wedge over a long iron.

Pelz actually has statistical data to back this up.

[Miles]

Wedges are specialty clubs and for golfers with no feel.

:spock:

[Miles]

Pull your 3 iron

Driver, 3 Wood, 5 Wood. 4,5,6,7,8,9, Gap, Sand, Lob, Putter. 14 clubs.

Wedges are your scoring clubs. You are always better off carrying an extra wedge over a long iron.

Pelz actually has statistical data to back this up.

Thats pretty damn interesting actually and something I hadn't considered. I carry a hybrid 2-iron instead of a 5-wood but do not use my 3-iron all that often. The chances of me landing in my yardage gap between my SW and PW is more likely than needing a specific club from 210 out. That setup could also be annoying for longer par 3's but again not that common.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Thats pretty damn interesting actually and something I hadn't considered. I carry a hybrid 2-iron instead of a 5-wood but do not use my 3-iron all that often. The chances of me landing in my yardage gap between my SW and PW is more likely than needing a specific club from 210 out.

Yup. You'll never really need a specific club from that distance unless you have a forced carry and can't go long. If need be, those are the clubs you can choke down on, or hit a cut if you feel confident in your swing.

The majority of your shots are from within 100 yards. Because of that, you'll score better if you give yourself more clubs that fit within that yardage. It's also wise to not get caught up in even numbered distances (100, 150, etc.), but rather evenly spaced lofts in your clubs so that you have a set gap between each. With that accomplished, you can hit chokedown shots with every club on the range to get the feel of hitting such shots whenever is warranted.

Hitting your PW 120 isn't important. Hitting your 9 iron 12 yards longer than you PW and your 8 iron 12 yards longer than your 9 is. It will breed consistency.

[Miles]

Yup. You'll never really need a specific club from that distance unless you have a forced carry and can't go long. If need be, those are the clubs you can choke down on, or hit a cut if you feel confident in your swing.

The majority of your shots are from within 100 yards. Because of that, you'll score better if you give yourself more clubs that fit within that yardage. It's also wise to not get caught up in even numbered distances (100, 150, etc.), but rather evenly spaced lofts in your clubs so that you have a set gap between each. With that accomplished, you can hit chokedown shots with every club on the range to get the feel of hitting such shots whenever is warranted.

Hitting your PW 120 isn't important. Hitting your 9 iron 12 yards longer than you PW and your 8 iron 12 yards longer than your 9 is. It will breed consistency.

Other than the yardage gap I have between my SW and PW I don't have any others that are not typical few yards here and there. I don't know why I haven't considered this before. A club that could cut in half my 30-40 yards gap between my scoring clubs seems a hell of a lot more valuable than a 20-30 yard difference between my 4 and 2 iron.

The yardage gap used to not be a problem back when I played far more frequently but its much more difficult now that I only get out a few times a month. Think I may have to hit up ebay for a gap wedge.

[ExtremeChief]

I agree with the gap wedge. It's probably my favorite club and I even use it from about 70 out for "punch" shots.

I carry Callaway 460X Driver and 3wood,Adams A1 Idea 3 and 4 hybrids,5,6,7,8,9,PW, Cleveland 52,56,60, and a Odessey white hot putter. I had always purchased knock off clubs and this year decided to buy all new. The cleveland wedges have shown to be the best investment of all so far. Don't misunderstand me, I still suck. It's just not as bad as it was.

[Mr. Plow]

Got a lot of good information in here. I've been thinking about getting a GW, but I think I'm sold on this. On the course I play 90% of the time, I have little to no use for a 3 iron, so I may be dropping that club.

Last year, I really worked on getting more distance on my drive and getting it straightened out. Worked wonders for my game. Late in the year last year, I started to realize that while driving will get the ball going, 130-150 yards out is where I'm going to lower my score. This year, I am going to focus on that portion of my game hoping to pick up another 5-7 strokes per round.

[Dartgod]

If you do that make sure to get the proper bounce. If your current sand wedge has a lot of bounce like 12-14 degrees then getting a gap wedge without a lot of bounce like 4-8 degrees would be a good mix...What is bounce?

[ExtremeChief]

A. The term "bounce" is used to describe a specific design of the soles of irons and wedges that is intended to reduce the "drag" of the sole through sand, longer grass or Bermuda grass; or, to reduce the incidence of hitting behind the ball (fat shots).
A bounce sole design is characterized by the rear sole edge (the trailing edge) being closer to the ground than the front sole edge (the leading edge) when the club is addressed behind the ball. That relationship of the front and back of the sole creates an angled surface on the bottom of the sole, which resists the clubhead digging deeper into sand or digging deeper into tall grass.

At the same time, if the bounce angle of the sole is too great, it will be a killer when trying to hit shots from hardpan or very thin turf – the trailing edge will contact the hard ground first and literally could cause the leading edge to "bounce" into the belly of the ball, thus creating a far greater chance of hitting the dreaded bladed shot.

http://golf.about.com/od/faqs/f/bounce.htm

[hawkchief]

You will use a 52 degree gap wedge far more often than a 2 or 3 iron. Great club around the greens as well. Most players use a 56 deg and 60 degree way too often around the greens, and most swing those clubs too hard, as they are very difficult clubs to "force".

[Mr. Plow]

I've been using my 56 around the green. I've actually gotten pretty good at getting it close. One thing I've never really tried to do - and I should start - is the bump 'n' run.

[Stinger]

A 9-iron is a dream for hitting short approach shots and chips. Wedges are specialty clubs and for golfers with no feel. Your 8-iron comment is honest and helpful. Check you ego's at the tee box.

The greens you play on must be a 4 or a 5 on the stimp meter or your always playing in 20 mile and hour wind. You do realize that most pros on tour carry more than 2 wedges in their bag. 8 - 9 irons are great for shots into the wind or bump and runs, but I fail to see how you can try to compair a wedge from short distance which gives you more spin for control and accuracy.